Knowledge Base & Help Desk Unite for Customer Self
Support
by Anne Sych
Published on this site: April 8th, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
Effectively managing customer support demands is a key element
in successful business operations, and with call loads steadily
increasing, more and more companies are turning to Customer
Self Support solutions. A survey published by the Association
of Support Professionals revealed that the average cost to
resolve a support issue by telephone was $27.78, to resolve
by email was $28.78, while to resolve by web self support
was only $3.75.* Reducing costs while empowering customers
has invoked a trend in Customer Self Help services.
Help Desk Software with an integrated Knowledge Base allows
website owners to provide a web based communications channel
allowing clients to resolve their own issues. Self Help content
is placed into "articles" which are readily available
for retrieval through the portal. The customer can simply
go to the website and search for an answer to his issue.
Search
relevancy displays search results with the most relevant
articles listed first, making it easy for the customer to
quickly find
what he is looking for.
Typical knowledge base capabilities allow searches by keyword
phrase or through a topic tree. A good knowledge base includes
a Natural Language Engine, which provides better search results
by eliminating unimportant words, a Thesaurus Engine, allowing
for better search results by expanding related words and Search
Filters, providing the ability to use broad or narrow search
filter classifications. Useful tools also include recently
added articles, most searched for articles and article ratings
by other users. In the event a quick answer is not found,
the customer can enter a ticket through a web help desk ticket
or email.
Web self service allows customers 24/7 service through your
website and since support tickets are deflected, the volume
of inbound calls is reduced. Companies save money by maintaining
a lean support staff and customers can help themselves with
an overall improved experience.
* The Economics of Online Support, Published by The Association
of Support Professionals, p.4.
Anne Sych, Marketing Manager for Novo Solutions, Inc.
Novo Solutions, Inc., is an Independent Software Vendor (ISV)
in Virginia Beach, Virginia specializing in Customer Support
Software. Free trial versions of the Novo
Help Desk Software, and suite of web-based Customer Support
Solutions are available. Contact: [email protected]
for more information. http://www.novosolutions.com/
|
